OPI Nordic Collection - Fall 2014

Hi there, gentle readers! Thank you so much for all the kind words. <3 We've been doing all right. We're slowly replacing all the essentials we lost, though that's been a bit slow because last month has been insanely busy. I've bought another camera, and I'm borrowing a laptop, so I'm able to finally make progress again with blogging. :) It's really wonderful to be back. I've missed you guys.

Today, I've got the 12-piece OPI Nordic Collection for Fall 2014 to share with you. I was pretty excited when I heard of this collection. I love the idea of all things Nordic, and my one visit to a Nordic location (Stockholm a few years ago) was filled with incredible memories. Also, this is the first year in a long while that I've been this eager for fall and everything that it brings. Just thinking about the cold nights and snuggling in warm sweaters fill me with joy. Ok, onto the collection...

NARS Orgasm

Hi, you guys! Happy hump day, as the camels would say. Half of the week is still left, but I'm already counting down the days till the weekend. :)

Today, I've got a color that is well-known in the nail polish world to show you. NARS Orgasm is a cult favorite, with an eyebrow-raising name and a high price-tag. It has been on my wishlist for quite some time, so I was thrilled when I finally got my paws on it.

It's a soft, blush peach with tons of strong golden shimmers. The formula is on the sheer side, which is evident after the first coat, though the coverage does build up. What you see in the swatches is three coats, and it still has some visible nail lines at that, but the slight bit of sheerness doesn't bother me and I would wear it like that.

I love how strong the golden shimmers are, but they do contribute to making the whole polish look orange, which is a bit disappointing. I had hoped it would retain more of its signature soft blush color once on the nails, but with each coat, it gets more orange, which is another reason I wouldn't go past three coats.

Overall, I'm torn on this polish. On the one hand, I love the idea of it and it looks stunning in the bottle. But once on my nails, combined with my skintone, it loses some of its charm and takes on a more prosaic orange hue, though it's still lovely. To be honest, I'm not sure it's worth the full retail price of $19. Thankfully, my bottle was pre-owned and I got it for a really good price, so I don't regret buying it and am super happy to fulfill a long-time lemming. :)

What do you guys think? If you have this, do you love it? Has there been a polish that's a huge lemming of yours, and did it live up to your expectations?

Zoya Awaken Collection & Monet - Spring 2014

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well. :) Is it me or is this month just flying by so fast? I love this time of the year, with all the flowers and trees blooming, and the extended amount of day light every day. I think my hubby, who does all the mowing, disagrees with my love of spring. We get just the perfect mixture of rain and sun so that the grass is growing like crazy weeds this time of the year lol.

Today, I've got Zoya's Spring 2014 offerings—the Awaken Collection and Monet special effects topper—to share with you. I always look forward to Zoya's spring collections with their fresh, understated colors and soft finishes, so I was super excited for this.

Salon Perfect Tainted Love

Happy Monday, you guys! Hope your new week is off to a good start! :-)

Today, I want to kick off a selection of my picks from the Salon Perfect First Look Fall Polish Forecast. Tainted Love is a soft neutral peach with lots of golden green shimmers and a metallic finish.

This is a very pretty and delicate shade, with just a pop of color to be interesting while still being neutral. My favorite part of this shade is the unique golden green shimmers. They add an interesting opalescent shine to the color. Unfortunately the shimmers were shy in front of the camera, but they're definitely stronger in person than in the swatches. As for the formula, it's really terrific. It applies thinly and smoothly, building to opacity in two coats without much streaking.

You can find Tainted Love exclusively at Walmart stores for a retail price of $3.98 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's

Hi you guys! Hope you all had lovely and relaxing weekends! :-)

Today, continuing with the China Glaze Avant Garden Collection, I've got another of my picks to share with you. Mimosa's Before Mani's is a bright peachy coral with soft golden shimmers.

Overlooking the awful grammar in the name, this is a lovely summer color, so bright and cheerful! It appears have a pinker tint to the coral in the bottle, but it goes onto the nails more orange and slightly darker. The golden shimmers are soft but definitely noticeable if you look closely, though my personal bias always has me wishing for more prominent shimmers. The formula is smooth and easy to apply, reaching opaque coverage in two coats.

You can find Mimosa's Before Mani's at your local nail salons and at beauty stores such as Ulta and Sally Beauty for a retail price of $7 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains a product that was provided to me for honest consideration. How I obtain the products does not influence my opinion. For more info, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Essence Modern Romance

Hi everyone! I have another Essence Colour & Go polish to share with you today. Modern Romance is a pale, pastel peach with pink shimmers.

The pink shimmer that is so pretty in the bottle unfortunately doesn't show up much once on the nails. The formula for this is somewhat runny and streaky, making application a little difficult. The thin, runny consistency has a tendency to pool around the edges of the paddle brush, no matter how many times you wipe along the neck of the bottle. This resulted in coverage that was thin in the middle and thick along the edges with every swipe of the brush. I did two coats for the swatches, and you can still see some bald spots, so it can definitely benefit from a third coat.

You can find Modern Romance at Ulta, HEB, and Fred Meyer for $1.99 for 0.27 fl oz.

** This post contains a product that was provided to me by the company for honest consideration. How I obtain the products does not influence my opinion. For more info, please view my Disclosure Policy.